Thailand PM's Car Attacked by Opposition

Abhisit Vejjajiva, cambodia, red shirt, thailand, thaksin shinawatra, united front for democracy

7 Apr, 2009 by New York Herald in Uncategorized

In a dangerous sign of Thailand’s growing restlessness, red shirted United Front for Democracy anti-government protesters swarmed around a car carrying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. They smashed a window before the car sped off.  The Prime Minister was not injured.

The protesters, supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, converged on the coastal town of Pattaya where Prime Minister Vejjajiva was staying.  With the urging of Thaksin who is leading them via video hook up from an undisclosed place, these protestors are scheduled to hold a massive rally Wednesday in an effort to shut down the current government and force elections.

Mr. Abhisit himself took office after similar protests by yellow shirted Royalists forced a pro-Thaksin government to step down late last year.  The rally is expected to bring as many as 300,000 protesters onto Bangkok’s streets.  This after a violent shooting between Thai and Cambodian forces in the Preah Vihear temple zone that left both sides with fatalities, and an upcoming ASEAN conference that Thailand is set to host on April 10th.

The Prime Minister warned on television that violence would be quelled, “We cannot allow a civil war or a people’s revolution,” he said. “If the situation leads to a riot, the government cannot stand still.” he said.

Photo: Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, taken on 12/26/2008.

Credit: central_vietnam via Flickr CC